Horsewrider-09 Anubhuti Tiwari
asked
Jennifer A. Nielsen:
First off- you are my favorite author and your books are just on another level. As an aspiring writer, I have a few questions- i)How to describe the appearance of the narrator in a first person narrated story? ii)How to have the will to actually write a whole book? I worked on a book and have written about 50 pages and I am not able to write as good as I would want to even though I have the whole story planned.
Jennifer A. Nielsen
Thanks very much! Let me answer your questions:
i) There are a number of ways. Having your character look in a mirror is pretty cliche, so avoid that, but they can compare their looks to another character's (My hair was a shade darker brown than hers), describe in as part of an action (My lips were naturally red so I usually skipped the lipstick), or have them think about it (I had always wished for blue eyes, not the hazel mix that I'd inherited from my dad), or any of a number of other methods.
ii) When you're first starting out, most people don't finish the book. And that's okay. You're still figuring out who you are as a writer and learning so many different skills. So be patient as you learn. To eventually finish, it's a matter of learning how to continue writing even when it feels like work, or the inspiration isn't flowing, or if you are stuck. Stay with it. Eventually you will finish.
iii) And if you are looking at what you've already written and it's not as good as you want, that is NORMAL. You're on a first draft. Everyone writes bad first drafts. Don't judge yourself as a writer based on your first draft. Just trust yourself to make it better in the rewrite. All published books are rewritten many times. That is the process. So keep going, do your best, and you will get there!
i) There are a number of ways. Having your character look in a mirror is pretty cliche, so avoid that, but they can compare their looks to another character's (My hair was a shade darker brown than hers), describe in as part of an action (My lips were naturally red so I usually skipped the lipstick), or have them think about it (I had always wished for blue eyes, not the hazel mix that I'd inherited from my dad), or any of a number of other methods.
ii) When you're first starting out, most people don't finish the book. And that's okay. You're still figuring out who you are as a writer and learning so many different skills. So be patient as you learn. To eventually finish, it's a matter of learning how to continue writing even when it feels like work, or the inspiration isn't flowing, or if you are stuck. Stay with it. Eventually you will finish.
iii) And if you are looking at what you've already written and it's not as good as you want, that is NORMAL. You're on a first draft. Everyone writes bad first drafts. Don't judge yourself as a writer based on your first draft. Just trust yourself to make it better in the rewrite. All published books are rewritten many times. That is the process. So keep going, do your best, and you will get there!
More Answered Questions
Lucy’s reading corner (bring coffee)
asked
Jennifer A. Nielsen:
Are you planning on writing any more historical fiction books?
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